Some Little People Part 4

'Lisbeth spelled, she spelled better than Miss Pritchet had imagined.

"That is a nice little girl. Now take your book and go learn this next line."

'Lisbeth took the book and sat down to spell. She got along nicely for a little way; then she came to the word aisle. She did not like the appearance of it. She did not like it at all. She ran up to Miss Pritchet's desk.

"What does this spell?" she inquired.

"That is aisle," said Miss Pritchet.

"Aisle!" repeated 'Lisbeth; "I do not like spelling aisle with a i s l e; I like i l e."

"Hush, my dear."

"But I don't like it," persisted 'Lisbeth. "If I don't like it I don't."

"Go and sit down at once," commanded Miss Pritchet.

'Lisbeth went and sat down. She learned every word but aisle. 'Lisbeth was a very foolish little girl not to learn aisle.

"Come here, my dear," said Miss Pritchet; she gave 'Lisbeth the words.

'Lisbeth spelled them very well. Then said Miss Pritchet, "aisle--"

"I did not learn it," said 'Lisbeth. "I said I did not like it and I don't."

"But you must learn it, if you like it or not."

"I must?" said 'Lisbeth, in astonishment.

"Of course you must; we all must do a great many things which we do not like."

"I don't mean to," said 'Lisbeth.

Miss Pritchet was astonished.

"You must."

"What must I do beside learning to spell aisle?"

"Nothing now!"

"Oh," said 'Lisbeth, rea.s.sured; "I thought you said we must all do a great many things."

"Go sit down this minute," commanded Miss Pritchet, and 'Lisbeth sat down, and she learned aisle, but she did not get home until very late, because Miss Pritchet said that such a very improperly behaved child should never go home at a proper time, from her school; but 'Lisbeth could not see, with all her trying, what she had been improper about.

Had she learned aisle, though she did not want to? Certainly she had.

Besides being perplexed about this, she was a little vexed with Miss Pritchet about something else. She had been given to understand that there was something about London in the books. She had been spelling words half the day and had not come to London. She spelled and spelled, but did not come to London. She felt herself imposed upon; she felt herself very much imposed upon.

"Please find London," asked 'Lisbeth at length of Miss Pritchet.

"London indeed? Not for such an improper little girl. You must stop thinking about London, I say. You will be sorry if you do not stop. You must."

"I must?" said 'Lisbeth, a little meekly. "I must, must I?"

But as she said it her voice sounded very much as though it said, "If I cannot, how can I?"

"Yes, you must;" and 'Lisbeth went and sat down to think about it.

This was 'Lisbeth's first day at school and she had a great many more days at school, and learned a great many things every day, but one thing she did not manage to learn at all--to stop thinking about London.

CHAPTER VII.

'Lisbeth did not find any word in her lesson the next day which she did not like. She spelled them over, and concluded that she liked them all pretty well. One word she looked at quite hard before she concluded that she liked them all, but she found out that she did not object to it. She spelled them so nicely that Miss Pritchet was quite pleased, and 'Lisbeth had a little more time than she had the day before, to look around and find out what next was to be done.

Jemmy Jenkins sat next to her; he was older than 'Lisbeth, but that did not make any matter; he whispered to 'Lisbeth behind his slate. She thought after this that she knew Jemmy Jenkins better than anybody else.

At recess she and Jemmy Jenkins had a great deal of fun and jumped over Miss Pritchet's garden plot seventeen times each, without getting in the middle of it more than twice.

"Say, Jemmy," said 'Lisbeth, "I think this flower plot would look nice with its roots stuck up."

"How?" inquired Jemmy, ready for anything new and agreeable.

"This way," replied 'Lisbeth, and she seized a pretty marguerite in bloom, dug it up with a stick, and planted it upside down; the stick to which it was tied for support she propped under it to keep the roots in the air, for the marguerites have little tender stems.

n.o.body happened to see. Jemmy thought this would be very nice. He ran and got the spade, and took out his knife to cut sticks, and they soon turned Miss Pritchet's plants upside down, with the flowers in the ground, and the roots in the air, and n.o.body caught them at it. They washed off the mud at the pump, and then the bell rang and they all went in to school.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Miss Pritchet looked from the window; she caught a glimpse of the garden plot; she caught a glimpse of the roots in the air; she gave a little cry and ran to the door.

'Lisbeth had forgotten the marguerites. She was trying to squeeze a big knot through the little hole in her shoe.

"Who did this?" Miss Pritchet almost screamed.

"I don't know 'm!" replied everybody in a minute, seeing something had happened. 'Lisbeth called, "Don't know 'm!" together with the rest, without knowing what the confusion was about. When she found out what it was about, she only said "oh!"

Miss Pritchet looked at her. She looked at Miss Pritchet.

"Did you do that?" inquired Miss Pritchet, pointing to the marguerites.

"Do what?" inquired 'Lisbeth as politely as she could.

"Uproot my flowers."

"Were they yours?"